https://nrpg.lu.ac.ir/ New Geopolitics Research en daily 1 Fri, 20 Feb 2026 00:00:00 +0330 Fri, 20 Feb 2026 00:00:00 +0330 https://nrpg.lu.ac.ir/article_733565.html Place, as the focus of the science of geography, is a reflection of culture in the environment. The presence of the individuals in the place results in the sense of belonging and their affiliations to different places. Political elections, as a political phenomenon, play a fundamental role in reflecting voters' spatial identities. Iran, influenced by its geographical location and history, has always had a wide variety of spatial identities. In the meantime, the electoral districs of Shahriar, Mallard, and Shahr-e-Quds, as places which mostly include immigrants, have been influential as arenas for revealing this diversity and, as a result, creating diverse spatial patterns in voting behavior in the Islamic Consultative Assembly elections. This articlr has utilized a descriptive-analytical design and has collected the data required for the research through two methods: library research method (studying books and articles) and field study (using questionnaires). Based on the result of the t-test and ANOVA, there is a significant difference between Shahriyar, Malard, and Shahr Quds with regard to the voting pattern.  The results of the study showed that spatial belonging in the form of spatial competition, especially in areas with high cultural and social diversity, can create new challenges in political planning and election management. Also, paying attention to spatial and identity characteristics in electoral planning is of particular importance. The results of this study refer to spatial identities in the form of spatial conflicts affected by social and economic relations leading to vote heterogeneity. https://nrpg.lu.ac.ir/article_733559.html Since 1648, when the Treaty of Westphalia was concluded in Germany and the sovereignty of the countries was transferred from the kings to the people and the land, until now we have witnessed extensive changes in the political map of the countries and the expansion of the territorial geometry in the world. From Germany, which consisted of 355 autonomous units and later became a single country after the Cold War, to the disintegration of the Ottoman Empire and the collapse of the Soviet Union, this bill and the expansion of the world political map can be seen. After the Second World War and the emergence of nationalism and religious fanaticism, many areas in the world and within countries have called for separatism and separation from the main land and becoming independent. but due to the lack of support from the Spanish government and other governments, especially European governments, this request of the people of Catalonia did not come to the This article, with descriptive-analytical method and nature, using library resources and internet sites, seeks to analyze the separatism of some regions within the countries and the changes made in the political map of the world. The results of the research show that among the reasons for separatism within the countries are ethnicism, political and economic isolation of the separatist region, the rise of the elites of the separatist region, the involvement of regional and extra-regional powers in arousing the public opinion of the separatist region and ... . https://nrpg.lu.ac.ir/article_733560.html The Tigris–Euphrates river basin, as one of the most important shared surface water resources in the Middle East, plays a vital role in supplying drinking water, supporting agriculture, and generating energy for Turkey, Syria, and Iraq. Due to the development of large-scale dam projects, the uneven distribution of water resources, and climate change, this basin faces serious hydro-political challenges that have wide-ranging implications for human security, particularly in its livelihood, environmental, and social dimensions. The present study formulates research questions as follows: How do hydro-political dynamics in the Tigris–Euphrates basin affect human security, and what land-use planning approaches can be proposed for the management of shared water resources? The research argument posits that the absence of effective regional cooperation mechanisms and inadequate water resource management have intensified human security crises in the basin. Furthermore, it was indicated that a land-use planning approach can contribute to mitigating these crises and improving the optimal management of shared water resources. Using a qualitative method with a descriptive-analytical approach and through the analysis of credible documents, this study provides a deeper understanding of the complex interlinkages among hydro-politics, human security, and land-use planning. The findings indicate that unilateral exploitation of water resources and weak cooperative mechanisms among the riparian states of the Tigris–Euphrates basin have undermined human security, especially in downstream areas. Accordingly, adopting a land-use planning framework and implementing integrated management of shared water resources can reduce hydro-political tensions and enhance human security across the Tigris–Euphrates river basin. https://nrpg.lu.ac.ir/article_733561.html One of the foundations of a country is the nation, and nations are the outcome of nation-building. Nation-building is an evolutionary stage for the identity of a political unit. In the process of nation-building, ethnic groups, while maintaining parts of their spiritual and ritual identities, participate in the emergence of a comprehensive concept in a wider space and create a national territory. The performance of the government as the main organizer and manager of the land is decisive in the consistency of the nation-building process. Positive performance drives convergence and ethnic groups are on the path of centralization, and otherwise they will move on the path of decentralization. Iran is one of the countries whose constituent ethnic groups are enormous. The participation of Iranian ethnic groups in the stability of the country has been a positive feature for them, but due to the lack of comprehensive development and justice, we are now witnessing divergence among some ethnic groups in some cases. The problem of divergence among Iranian ethnic groups is a challenge that threatens the consistency of nation-building and is the subject of this research. The findings of the present research, which was as an analytical-causal research conducted in a library manner and utilized the SWOT model, emphasize that divergence among Iranian ethnic groups is a direct result of government performance. The failure to implement development programs, expand welfare, and reproduce justice has been among the most important causes of divergence among Iranian ethnic groups. https://nrpg.lu.ac.ir/article_733562.html The geopolitical position of Afghanistan and the presence of international forces from 2001 to 2021 have turned the country into a key focal point in regional politics. This study aims to identify the geopolitical factors influencing the foreign policy of Iran and Saudi Arabia toward Afghanistan, using the constructivist realism theory and thematic analysis method. The main research question is: What are the core components at the heart of the geopolitical approach of Iran and Saudi Arabia’s foreign policy toward Afghanistan? The statistical population includes eight selected scholarly articles based on three criteria: time frame, thematic relevance, and research quality. The findings indicate that Iran’s foreign policy has been shaped by four main themes: border security, the significance of the Persian language and Shiite rights, the presence of foreign forces especially the U.S. and NATO and regional rivalry with Saudi Arabia over leadership of the Islamic world. In contrast, Saudi Arabia’s foreign policy has been based on four factors: Afghanistan’s geopolitical position, religious and ideological influence, regional competition with Iran, and economic policy. The results suggest that the foreign policies of both countries toward Afghanistan pursue a combination of strategic, identity-based, and security interests. https://nrpg.lu.ac.ir/article_733569.html Environmental Perception and Political Action https://nrpg.lu.ac.ir/article_733563.html Given that the vulnerability of sensitive centers can cause irreparable damage, one of the important necessities is to identify vulnerable areas based on the principles of passive defense. For this reason, the present study was conducted with the aim of assessing the vulnerability of military and Police centers in Dezful city based on principles of passive defense. Accordingly, the present study is a type of applied study using a descriptive-analytical method. Data was collected using library sources and a supplementary questionnaire filled by 10 experts. In this study, to investigate the vulnerability of military centers in Dezful County, 14 indices in the form of 2 general criteria (human and natural-physical criteria) have been selected. In the next step, coefficients of importance of indicators and criteria were determined using the Analytical Hierarchy Process (AHP) technique. Finally, using GIS software, a zoning map of the vulnerability of military centers in the County of Dezful was prepared. In terms of spatial distribution pattern, the results of ratio of the nearest neighbor show that the military centers in Dezful county are distributed in clusters. The results of combined analysis GIS- AHP showed that the northern and eastern half of Dezful County contain the most suitable areas for the establishment of military centers. Also, from the three military centers in Dezful county, one center is in the category of unsuitable locations and one center is in the category of completely unsuitable locations. In general, it can be said that in terms of vulnerability of Dezful military centers based on the principles and requirements of passive defense, the military centers of Dezful county are in an inappropriate condition. https://nrpg.lu.ac.ir/article_733564.html The Russian Revolution, with its driving forces influenced by Marxist ideas, had a transnational and cross-border nature. The Russian Revolution had an international aspect in two ways, in terms of its universal ideology and in terms of the assumption of the socialist revolution, the perspective of trying to spread the revolution and include the whole world. The other is in terms of the international nature of the Communist Manifesto. This centrality of thought in the revolutionary leader was traced by changing directions in the field of geography, the compass of which was the necessity and inevitability of the world revolution and bringing the October Revolution out of isolation, even by changing the direction and alternating the East and West in the international model of the October Revolution. The main issue of this research is to examine the backgrounds and theoretical approaches of the leaders in considering the East as an alternative geopolitics in the strategy of the world revolution. Attention to the East and Asian countries has been traced as a turn in the approaches of the leaders of the revolution. The author believes that the social structure, geographical components, and security issues played a significant role in the final formation of the geopolitical issue for the leaders of the Soviet revolution. The assumption of the research is that the stable political and social structure and the historical concerns of the Russian people and the Soviet revolution were important concerns for major decision-making by the revolutionary leaders, and of course, special attention was paid to the East and Central Asian countries. The disappointment of promising developments in line with the world revolution in Europe and Western countries led to the inclusion of Asian countries on the agenda as a source of developments in line with the international attitudes of the revolution. The research method is descriptive-analytical and the data collection method is documentary-library. https://nrpg.lu.ac.ir/article_733566.html تقابل ژئوپلیتیکی آمریکا و ایران https://nrpg.lu.ac.ir/article_733567.html One of the important aspects of the history of early Islam was the rapid expansion of conquests to the surrounding territories during the era of the Rashidin caliphs (Abu Bakr, Omar and Uthman). Various analyses have been presented among Islamic historians regarding the causes of Muslim Arab territorial expansion and how Iran was conquered. In this research, an attempt has been made to examine the components of Islamic caliphate's territorial expansion in the framework of the function of its social-environmental components by examining historical documents and relying on comparative methodology. The findings of the research show that a set of internal/extraterritorial components became the basis for the territorial ambitions of the Muslim Arabs during the period of the Rashidin Caliphs. From an intraterritorial point of view, the expansion of conquests caused the Bedouin Arabs to achieve more material privileges and resulted in their greater union with the central government. From the extraterritorial dimension, with the intensification of the dissatisfaction of the bordering Arabs of southern Mesopotamia with the Sassanid government and also with the geostrategic vulnerability of the cities of this region, the ground was prepared for the victory of the Muslim armies over the Sasanians. https://nrpg.lu.ac.ir/article_733568.html The influence of energy on https://nrpg.lu.ac.ir/article_734705.html The massive migration of Afghans to Iran, one of the world’s longest-running displacement crises, is rooted in Afghanistan’s ongoing conflict, economic instability, and environmental challenges. Iran has hosted millions of Afghan refugees and asylum seekers for more than four decades, and before the massive deportations of 2025, their population was estimated to be around 4.5 to 6 million. This phenomenon has created legal, economic, social, cultural, and psychological complexities. The research question is: What opportunities and threats has the massive and sometimes illegal presence of Afghan refugees created for Iran? The research is based on the hypothesis that this migration brings economic and cultural opportunities, but also exacerbates security and economic threats. This descriptive-analytical study, using a SWOT model, examines the policies of the Islamic Republic of Iran. Its innovation is the integration of the SWOT model with international refugee law (1951 Convention, 1967 Protocol) and the integration of psychological-social-cultural dimensions into opportunities and threats. The findings show that migrants provide cheap labor in key sectors, create cultural richness from shared bonds, and offer social resilience. However, pressure on resources, various political-economic tensions, mental health problems, and cultural mismatch have posed serious threats to the Islamic Republic of Iran. https://nrpg.lu.ac.ir/article_734706.html The family, as the fundamental nucleus of society, plays a vital role in shaping individual personality, transmitting cultural values, and nurturing future generations. Current social transformations, accompanied by the influence of virtual space and rapid lifestyle changes, emphasize the need for informed family-related policies to preserve social cohesion. In this context, place identity functions as a key mechanism in fostering a sense of belonging and social solidarity, directly strengthening both the family institution and national identity. Drawing on the theoretical framework of political geography and territoriality, this article seeks to explain the mediating role of place identity in reinforcing the functions of the family and transferring this cohesion to the national level. The central question was formulated as follows: How can place identity enable the family to effectively fulfill its role as a carrier and transmitter of national identity? Using a descriptive-analytical method and documentary resources, the study argues that the family, as the individual’s primary socio-identity “territory,” provides the necessary foundation for internalizing attachment to the broader macro-territory of the nation-state by cultivating a sense of spatial belonging on a micro scale (home and neighborhood). Key findings show that the process of“territorialization” within the family—through creating mental territorialization by accumulating spatial experiences, internalizing territorial norms, and reproducing identity-spatial boundaries—enhances family cohesion and turns it into an active agent for transmitting territorial loyalty. Consequently, it is recommended that cultural and spatial policymaking focuses on maintaining and strengthening this triadic bond among place, family, and nation. https://nrpg.lu.ac.ir/article_734707.html Venezuela, due to its geostrategic significance and its position as the holder of the world’s largest proven oil reserves, has always attracted the attention of the United States. However, in recent decades, the country had turned into a geopolitical quagmire for Washington. This situation ultimately led to a military action by the Trump administration in January 2025, during which Nicolás Maduro, the President of Venezuela, was abducted and the Venezuelan government was overthrown. Relying on the assumption that the causes of this U.S. action were multidimensional, this study seeks to answer the following question: How did energy, geopolitics, and security, creates the conditions for Maduro’s downfall at the hands of the United States? Using a descriptive–analytical approach and drawing on documentary and library-based data, the findings of the study indicate that control over Venezuela’s hydrocarbon resources, containment of Russian and Chinese influence in America’s traditional sphere of influence, and the aggressive redefinition of security based on the Monroe Doctrine, as the three sides of a decisive triangle, provided the necessary groundwork for U.S. intervention and the collapse of the Maduro government. The research results reveal that in this triangle of decline, security served as the justification, energy acted as the tool, and geopolitics constituted the underlying foundation and main driver. https://nrpg.lu.ac.ir/article_734708.html This study explores the role of public education as a central institution of the modern state in shaping national identity and reducing identity cleavages in multi-ethnic societies, with specific reference to the Turkmens in Iran. It seeks to determine whether formal education has contributed to aligning local Turkmen identity with the broader Iranian national identity or whether it has reinforced identity boundaries. Drawing on theories of nation-building and identity formation, the research aims to clarify the integrative capacity of educational policies in a culturally diverse context. The research employs a qualitative design based on document analysis and historical data. Official educational policies, curricular materials, and statistical records were examined to trace the development of schooling in Turkmen Sahra from traditional religious education to the Pahlavi and Islamic Republic periods. The study analyzes literacy expansion, language policy, and the transmission of national symbols as mechanisms of identity formation. The findings show that public education has reduced institutional and perceptual gaps between Turkmens and the national society by expanding literacy, promoting Persian as the language of instruction and enabling social mobility. At the same time, Turkmen identity has not been eliminated but reshaped into a layered and hybrid form combining local and national elements. Public education appears to be a necessary condition for national integration; however, sustainable cohesion requires complementary multicultural policies that recognize local identities alongside national unity. https://nrpg.lu.ac.ir/article_734711.html China has important strategic interests in the South China Sea. This has led Beijing not only to build naval bases and modernize its military forces, but also to expand its sphere of influence in the South China Sea and surrounding waters. China’s assertive behavior and militarization of the South China Sea waters pose a strategic threat to coastal states and the United States, which has prompted these states and the United States to respond by reducing Beijing’s power in East Asia. The main question of the present research is presented as follows: What strategy are coastal states pursuing to deter China’s increasing power in the South China Sea? The hypothesis of the article is that since China has claims of ownership and exclusive sovereignty over resources in the South China Sea, the country has, with the aim of protecting its national interests, undertaken the construction of artificial islands and sought to equip these islands with missile depots and silos, which, in addition to increasing Beijing's regional power and its control and sovereignty over more waters, is considered a strategic threat to coastal countries and the United States. Meanwhile, China's neighboring countries, in their opposition and strong reaction to the militarization of the South China Sea waters, have called for a broader presence of Washington in the region to prevent Beijing's increase in power and rebalance its power in East Asia. The results of this research show that, given that China has important and strategic interests in the South China Sea, this country has resorted to creating artificial islands and military bases in this region in order to protect its interests. These actions of China are considered a strategic threat to coastal countries and the United States. Therefore, by expanding its presence in the region and establishing relations with its allies, the United States has sought to prevent the power equations from changing in favor of China in East Asia, which could lead to a decrease in Beijing's power and isolation in the region. The descriptive-analytical method was used to analyze the research data. The data and information were collected through library sources and internet. https://nrpg.lu.ac.ir/article_734713.html جغرافیای جدیدصنعتی، نظریه‌های جدید تجارت https://nrpg.lu.ac.ir/article_734714.html and terrorism in Iraq, with a particular focus on the post-Saddam Hussein era. Owing to its complex political history, prolonged instability, and deep socio-economic divisions, Iraq constitutes a critical case for analyzing how economic mismanagement, political fragmentation, and social inequalities contribute to the rise and persistence of terrorist activities. The primary aim of this research is to identify and analyze the key economic and political factors that have influenced terrorism in Iraq since the collapse of the Ba’ath regime in 2003. Using a qualitative methodology and a descriptive-analytical approach, the study seeks to address the following research question: How have economic and political developments in post-Saddam Iraq affected the escalation or decline of terrorist activities? The research is grounded in the hypothesis that deteriorating economic conditions are closely linked to the intensification of terrorism. In this context, the inefficiency and fragility of political and economic institutions have played a significant role in sustaining violence and enabling the spread of extremist ideologies. The findings of the qualitative analysis suggest that unfavorable economic conditions—particularly high unemployment rates, widespread poverty, and persistent political instability—act as enabling factors for the emergence and expansion of terrorist groups. These conditions foster feelings of marginalization, frustration, and hopelessness, especially among youth, thereby increasing their vulnerability to recruitment by extremist organizations. Ultimately, the study concludes that improving economic performance and strengthening governance structures can significantly reduce terrorist activities and contribute to long-term stability and security in Iraq. https://nrpg.lu.ac.ir/article_734715.html This study was conducted with the aim of investigating and explaining the consequences of frequent and unplanned changes in geographical names and signs on the dimensions of place identity in the metropolitan city of Ahvaz. In this regard, the research specifically measured the impact of these changes on four key dimensions that shape place attachment—historical memory, social bonds, individual and collective emotions, and local events—in order to analyze the mechanisms through which name changes, as a symbolic act of power, weaken citizens' sense of belonging and create a rupture in urban identity. The research method was descriptive-analytical, and the statistical population consisted of 50 experts and specialists in urban fields, who were selected through snowball sampling and examined using a researcher-made questionnaire based on the aforementioned four dimensions. The findings indicate that unique names with an average of 4.54 and the stability of names with an average of 4.64 have the greatest impact on shaping place identity. In contrast, frequent name changes with an average of 2.00 have caused confusion among citizens. Geographical names and signs with an average of 4.68 play a vital role in creating social cohesion, but the degree of attention to citizens' preferences in naming, with an average of 1.36, has received the lowest score. Additionally, cultural events with an average of 4.46 have the greatest impact on place attachment. In summary, frequent renaming disrupts collective memory and emotional ties, diminishing place belonging and urban identity.